proaching....Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and He that shall come will come, and will not tarry." Heb. x. 23-25, 35--37. "Be patient, therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient: stablish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh." James v. 7, 8. "And now, little children, abide in him; that when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming." 1 John ii. 28. "He which testifieth these things saith, surely 1 come quickly: Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus." Rev. xxii. 20.

SECTION XXVII.*

THE TWO WITNESSES.

REV. xi. 3. "I will give power unto my Two Witnesses, and they shall prophecy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth."

Two different explanations of this prophecy have been given, by opposing interpreters on entirely different principles. The first regards the language as figurative, and seeks its meaning in some historical event which has occurred at some period subsequent to the rise of popery. The second adhering to the literal sense, regards the prophecy as yet unfulfilled, and believes the two witnesses shall be two persons who shall arise and bear testimony for God in a manner altogether peculiar and extraordinary. The former object to the literal interpretation, because, as they conceive, it involves an absurdity. They seem to think that any Supplementary to the present Edition-By the Rev, I. P. Labagh.

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explanation which carries us out of the ordinary course of God's providence, is to be viewed with suspicion; and especially if it savours of the marvellous, should yield to one brought more within the compass of probability. But shall this be adjudged sufficient ground for departing from the literal sense? Shall it be considered as taxing our credulity too much to believe, for example that two bona fide saints of a former dispensation shall be commissioned to appear in their own proper bodies to give the world, and especially the church a last solemn warning of the near approach of her Judge and King? With God this is not impossible; then why should it be deemed more remarkable or incredible to us than that many of the saints, after the resurrection of Christ, were called from their graves, and were sent into the holy city to appear unto many as witnesses that the Lamb that had been slain was the Resurrection and the Life? If, then, we are not driven from the literal sense by any absurdity, why depart from it? If any evidence were wanting of the evil of abandoning the plain import of the language, it is furnished by the utter impossibility of determining spiritually who, or what the two witnesses are. Some say the Waldenses and Albigenses; others, the Old and New Testaments,-Baptism and the Lord's Supper. For the "water and blood bear witness on earth." 1 John v. 8. Water in baptism and the cup of the New Testament, in Christ's blood, in the Supper. But the power of these two witnesses to turn water to blood, shut up heaven, &c., their death, exposure in a particular place, resurrection, ascension, Rev. xi. 612, will scarcely agree with the Waldenses. Testaments, or Sacraments. While we may admit, that these have been, in a certain sense, witnesses for God, as well as meeting houses, Sabbath days, and many other things belonging to Christianity, does it thence follow that the persons spoken of, Rev. xi. 3, will not be literal persons? Who dare say that Christ will not yet prove, by occular demonstration, that if men will not believe Moses and the Prophets, they will not believe,, though some rise from the dead.

But it may be inquired, If we reject the spiritual or figurative meaning, and cling to the literal, who then are the two witnesses? In answering so grave a question as this, it behooves us to speak with great modesty; and we would rather submit our view for investigation, than affirm it positively to be the "mind of the Spirit." Of one thing, however, we feel assured;— that the prophecy of Revelation, xi. is an unfulfilled prophecy-that it relates principally to the Jewish people, the scene being laid in the holy land-v. 1. and the usual distinction between that people and the rest of the world, being mentioned in v. 2. Now may not the two witnesses be of that people, and be sent to them, and confine their labors especially to them? If, as we learn from the prophets, the Jews will be restored to their own land in an unconverted state, and will inhabit it some little time before they "look on Him whom they have pierced," Zech. xii. 10, then may it well consist with the mercy of the Lord to that people, to send them some of his most distinguished servants to bring them to the faith of the Messiah, and to prepare them to receive their king "whose feet shall soon stand on Mount Zion;" for unless their "hearts are turned to their fathers," they will not be “able to abide his coming." And who, of all the ancient servants of God to that people, would be best qualified for this work? There are two of their ancient prophets who are re◄ garded by that people as the greatest and holiest men that ever lived-and who would naturally exercise a greater influence over them than any others that ever lived. Those are Moses and Elias; both eminent for the services they rendered to that people, and both remarkable for the manner in which they closed their lives; God himself, taking charge of their bodies, when called to rest from their labours. May not these be the persons, the very Two Witnesses; The two olive trees; that is, sons of oil, or annointed ones; The two candlesticks, or "burning lights." "which stand in the presence of the Lord of the whole earth," as ministering spirits, ready to depart on any mission in which they may glorify God. If it be asked, why Moses and

Elias, rather than Enoch and Joshua, Samuel and David, Elisha and Daniel, or any other eminent worthies who, through faith" obtained a good report," we shall now assign very briefly the reasons which have brought us to the conclusion to which we have arrived.

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1. The titles given to these two persons may furnish some clue by which we may ascertain their names. My two witnesses." Whose two witnesses? Christ's? This will not be disputed. This book is the "Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to him to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly come to pass." Christ therefore says, "I will give power or authority to My two witnesses to prophecy," &c. Now what two individuals had been special witnesses for Christ at the time this was spoken? For he spoke of them not as to arise, but at that time "standing before the Lord of the whole earth," v. 4. Every believer is a witness for Christ. This, however, is general. To him gave all the prophets witness.-Acts x. 43. This is more particular: "Ye are witnesses of these things," Luke xxiv. 48, said Christ to the eleven: this is still more definite. But were there no others more special and extraordinary still, who bore testimony that He was the Christ; and who, by way of eminence, might be called His two witnesses? There were. At his transfiguration, Moses and Elias appeared and talked with him, and spake of his decease, which he should accomplish at Jerusalem. These two "anointed ones standing before the Lord of the whole earth," were dispatched from the world of spirits to bear testimony that Jesus was the Son of God. Are they not then witnesses of him in a more exalted and peculiar sense than prophets or apostles, Waldenses or Testaments, possibly can be? They were emphatically Christ's two witnesses." They are so still, and may therefore in due time, appear again to execute their commission, and prophecy in sackcloth and ashes, to that self same people whom they once served with such acceptableness to God, and such honour to themselves.

2. The fearful attributes which are declared to be

long to these "two witnesses," further sustain the belief that Moses and Elias are the persons intended by Christ in these words, under the name of my two witnesses. "These have the power to shut up heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy." What mortal ever possessed this power? Read James v. 17, 18, and compare it with 1 Kings xvii. 1, and xviii. 42-45. "Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and it rained not," &c. Here then is a description of Elijah, which applies to no one else. How can we mistake it? Further-v. 6, "Have power over waters, to turn them into blood." Was this power ever exercised by any person but Moses? And again, "To smite the earth with plagues as often as they will.' Does not this remind you of that same Moses by whom so many plagues were brought upon the land of Egypt? If this language is intended to give us such a description of these witnesses, as may enable us to identify them, how can the persons be more clearly pointed out? Here are features so peculiar that they belong to no others. They describe the only two persons the Scripture declares ever to have possessed them.

Further-v. 5-"If any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies." Need we here repeat 2 Kings i. 10? Elijah said, "If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty; and there came down fire, &c.,-or Numbers xvi. 26—35— "Moses spake unto the congregation, saying, Depart, I pray you, from these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest ye be consumed in all their sins; and there came out fire from the Lord, and consumed the 250 men." &c. If, it be asked, how did fire come out of their mouths, we reply, in the same way that rain came out of Elijah, and the plagues out of Moses. At their request or bidding, these judgments came,

once more.

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Once more: Whosoever will hurt them, he must, in this manner, viz. by fire, be killed." The captain and his